Sweet and Salty Roasted Chickpeas – Cheap, Easy, and Addictive

Prior to making sweet and salty roasted chickpeas (garbanzo beans), chickpeas did not entice me at snack time. I didn’t search the pantry saying, “Chocolate, nah! Graham cracker, no thanks. Oooh, I know what I should have: chickpeas!” Silly me! I now realize that with minimal effort, some sugar, a small amount of oil, spices, and salt, a can of chickpeas can turn into a grazing food akin in addictiveness and crunching pleasure to popcorn.

Hop on board the chickpea choo choo (I’m picturing a train with chickpeas flying out of the engine instead of smoke) and give these a go! If you’re already along for the ride, I’d love to hear what spices you use.

If you don’t want to take them time to make these but still want to try something similiar, you can buy pre-made chickpea snacks. This brand makes them in a variety of flavors.

Sweet and Salty Roasted Chickpea Recipe

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Sweet and Salty Roasted Chickpeas – Cheap, Easy, and Addictive

Ingredients

1can14 oz chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

2teaspoonsolive oil

1teaspooncinnamon or your spices of choice

1 1/2teaspoonsbrown sugar

1/4teaspoonsalt

Instructions

Place chickpeas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Bake at 450 F for 30 minutes. (You didn't miss anything here. You don't oil or season them until after they are done. In fact, for an extra healthy treat, try them when they get out of the oven before even adding the oil. They are enjoyable all on their own.)

Transfer chickpeas to a bowl and mix thoroughly with the rest of the ingredients.

Enjoy hot, or bring to room temperature and store in an air-tight container. Like popped corn, the chickpeas are never as good the next day. However, they are still quite enjoyable 3-4 days after making them.

I encourage you to eat the chickpeas hot by the handful, but save a few as cupcake toppers for gluten-free chocolate cupcakes made with garbanzo bean flour (coming soon).

That sounds like a terrific idea! I can already see making honey roasted, spicy, maybe even a sweet and spicy one! I hate popcorn, this might become my go to alternative! My picky eater boyfriend might even like them, at least as long as I don’t tell him what he’s eating.

Hey Stef, your picture’s gorgeous! Have you tried The Good Bean (disclosure, I’m the founder). Roasted, spiced chickpeas without the baking hassle! In 4 flavors including Cinnamon, which people love to use as yogurt topping. http://www.thegoodbean.com

I double the recipe but only used 1/4 tsp. salt and added roughly 1/4 tsp. cayenne. I had to bake mine for 40 mins, but even then many weren’t very crunchy. I really think it depends on the brand of the canned chickpeas- The ones I bought for this were made by ‘Clic’ and seemed softer than the ones I usually buy (not sure of the brand). Instead of solely using cinnamon I used a homemade spice blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, cardamom & star anise. Tasty! I’d love to see a version of these using pb or a savoury recipe. Thanks for sharing!

I found this on Pinterest. I absolutely LOVE chick peas. I like to eat them right out of the can though. They are like natures candy. I think I will try these sprinkled with one of my favorite spices: curry. YUM!!

Sitting at my computer enjoying these right now. So crunchy and so Yummy! I immediately started another batch for the football game tonight only this batch, I am sprinkling with garam masala (curry powder). 30 minutes is a long time to wait because I want them NOW! Great protein snack!

Tip: after they come out of the oven, toss with the olive oil first… THEN sprinkle on the seasoning. I mixed the oil and seasoning together and it didn’t work all that well.

I wasn’t so eager for the sugar/cinnamon idea…so I made used butter/garlic/salt – WOW!!! My husband (who calls garbanzo beans garBAGO beans) loves them! I roasted the drained chickpeas by themselves for the 30 min. While they were roasting, I put fresh, minced garlic and butter into the micro (to “saute” the garlic). Then I poured the butter/garlic over the hot chickpeas, stirred it all, and returned it to the oven for another 5 min. Sprinkled salt over all when I pulled them out – and we gobbled them like chickens eatin bugs! YUM! Thanks!

Yum…butter, garlic, salt…I can’t get to the kitchen fast enough. I’m not crazy about sweet snacks, but I love chick peas so I kept scrolling the comments and Voila, there you were. Your variation sounds DELISH. I might even sprinkle a little Parmesan.

I love chickpeas, but had never tried roasting them before – this is a great idea! I was in more of a savory than a sweet mood, so I seasoned mine with lemon pepper seasoning, dill, garlic powder and kosher salt. Delicious!

@Liz – home-cooked chickpeas should be equivalent to canned chickpeas. Just follow the cooking instructions on the bag. You’ll probably be able to get the same amount of chickpeas for half the cost this way, too!

of course. classic me. The first thing I decide to make from your AMAZING blog is not a cupcake, but these chickpeas. It was a good choice. These were delicious. I also flavored a bath with chipotle lime, and they were super as well. I just read about a version of these where you mix the sugar in before baking, and you get these lacy caramel sticky bits afterward? Sounds very good. Something I may just have to try.Here’s my version: http://cenabimus.blogspot.com/2011/11/sweet-and-salty-roasted-chickpeas.html

I made them but I wondered if they should be crunchy throughout? Mine still have a little moosh to them. Also, when I mixed the sugar, and spices, they soaked up all of the oil and I ended up having to moosh the mixture with my hands and then roll the chickpeas in them. Next time I get higher quality stuff, not the chickpeas someone left in my pantry a year ago :-/ Great idea though!

I use my own blend without a “real” recipe. I take a can of chickpeas and drizzle olive oil, dash of salt, splash of lemon juice, and fairly heavily sprinkled with cumin and garlic. Can’t wait to try a sweeter version of the chickpea. Thanks.

Did anyone have a problem with the beans popping in the oven? A few popped right off the baking pan, fell under the shelf and promptly started burning and smoking up my whole kitchen. How do I get the beans to stay on the pan while roasting?

I have a recipe where I rinse the chickpeas (2 cans), pat dry w/paper towels, then toss in the oil/seasonings in a bowl. I use sea salt, fresh ground pepper & freshly grated parmesan. Bake for 50 minutes or until crunchy.

I just made these and they are delicious!!!!! I used walnut oil instead of olive oil and replaced the cinnamon with 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. I rinsed my chickpeas and let them drain for a while before I baked them. Yummy!!!

We were won over by the words “minimal effort” and also “cinnamon.” Have some chickpeas in the oven right now and cannot wait. Maybe we’ll mix the sweet & salty chickpeas WITH the popcorn. Whoa! — Thank you!

I used my bulk chickpeas. I only soaked them for 4 hours. Mine popped like popcorn and burned while still having quite of bit of time left on the timer. I bet if I had soaked them for another four hours, they would have done better. My young girls are eating the burnt ones anyways.

I just made these but didn’t have cinnamon so I used nutmeg and it was really overpowering the sugar/salt. I’d like to try again with cinnamon instead. I definitely think that would be better. Thanks for sharing!!

I agree with the comment to toss in the oil and THEN sprinkle with sugar, etc. In fact, I’ve put back in the oven for 5min and retoasting – next time I may do the oil and spices first. Also, I used chai spices instead and it came out really delicious. variations are endless!

I just made these tonight (admittedly from another, but similar, recipe)! They were SO good. My recipe wasn’t sweet, it called for salt, coriander, paprika, cumin, curry, chili powder, and garlic powder (1 tsp. of each, except salt which is to taste, for one can of chickpeas). SO, SO delicious. My kids and I devoured them!

Thank you for this …. I used dried that had been cooked 2 days ago. I loved them and can’t wait to try different variations. I think you need to make sure the peas are quite dry before cooking to get that nice crunchiness.

so, we bought a bag of dried garbanzo beans, soaked them for a few days and then put them in the oven. some turned out crunchy, some popped right off the pan! some were still soft and not quite as good. we had lots of fun making different seasonings, and will be making this again. next time, with friends and have a taste test/seasoning contest. thank you!

i tried seasoning these prior to baking…bad idea. i don’t taste any of the seasonings! i made one can with brown sugar and cinnamon and another can with Parmesan, garlic, salt and chili powder… and they both tasted the exact same (no flavor AT ALL). don’t season before baking. i’m making my third batch now the right way…

I’m a fan of olive oil-roasted garbanzo beans, but I’ve never had them sweet. I just tried this with a can of garbanzo beans and a handful of string beans, and OMG, GUYS! Please try this with green beans, I know it sounds gross, but you will thank me.

Mine are currently popping all over the oven… I hope the ones that stay on pan will come out alright w/out a smokey flavor. I’d love to hear if anyone comes up with a solution for this. My chick peas are straight out of the can, rinsed and drained.

Very yummy, and very satisfying! I had trouble with the sugar sticking to the hot beans though, even with the oil – Am I missing something?

I would suggest taking them out and stirring them a few times during baking, especially in the later half of baking, as I found many peas in the center of the pan were soft, and ones on the edges were a little burnt.

I came across this recipe the other day, just now got a chance to make them though. The whole family is now sitting down eating them! They have been down here for 5 minutes and almost all gone, looks like I may have to double the recipe next time :)

Thanks for link to your blog Abi! Very excited because I need to lose approx. 20 lbs. – gained from touring last summer and too much sitting as I drove many, many miles to and from gigs…..about to go to DC tomorrow for a military gig and this will be a perfect snack for the road.GREAT! I’ll tell you how my version turned out…..

DELICIOUS!! I just made these and they turned out great! I did changed it up a little and added more brown sugar (to my taste) and little bit more salt. Can’t wait for my DH to get home and give me his verdict.

That’s so funny — I was reading this and thinking, “Well, I have a pouch of those things from The Good Bean so maybe I’ll try this recipe when I run out…” Sarah, can you create a new variety with something like Herbes de Provence? The chili lime ones are too spicy for me, but I want another savory option other than just plain salt or pepper. Just some customer feedback. :-) Thanks for your good beans!!

This may be a little late patti, but take a look at Salt Works gourmet line. Lime salt and a lot more. I only mention them from among a lot of others because I’ve been buying their products for several years without trouble.

I use popcorn seasoning on them! Target has a wide variety for about 2 bucks. There is kettle corn, white cheddar, chipotle, barbeque, nacho, carmel… it goes on and on. The Archer Farms brand is far tastier than the other brands and it doesn’t have MSG. Plus, 1 serving has 0 calories!!!

seriously, you threw them out? what a waste. just cook them longer until they are crunchy. we did two cans for about 45 minutes. added ginger to the mix and used sea salt. SO frickin good. i want to make more right now because this batch is not going to last.

Tried it and my chickpeas completely burned! Put them in for 30min on 230°C (equals 450°F). Maybe it was the size of the chickpeas, but the time and heat clearly didn’t work for me…shame, really looked forward to trying them.